Over the past decade, music festivals have evolved and gained a large following. The list has expanded greatly and there is no way our wallets or our calendars can conquer them all.

It seems as though Californian music festival, Coachella, is on everyone’s musical bucket list.

It’s no surprise, considering it has been named one of the best Music Festival’s by USA Today.

By no means am I hating on Coachella— trust me, I would jump through hoops to be able to hit the Californian dessert, be among celebrities in the crowds, and ride the notorious ferris wheel.

However, the cost of tickets could cost you an arm and a leg; that doesn’t even include the plane ticket, accommodations, and transportation.

For us East-coast kids to spend the weekend at Coachella, it would be the same amount as a Bahamas all-inclusive 5-day getaway.

The breakdown potentially goes like this:

A round trip from Newark airport to LAX for that weekend goes for $404—without luggage. Then, according to Coachella’s website, general passes started at $429. According to TIME Magazine you can be prepared to spend an average of $70 on a shuttle from LAX to the festival and $590 on a mid-range hotel which covers a 2 night stay.

Ladies and gents, your grand total is: $1,493.

After exploring TicketMaster’s “Festivals” tab, there are, luckily, several music festivals in the tri-state area that are more affordable and equally entertaining.

Asbury Park has become home to New Jersey’s local music scene; the town has even adopted “Where Music Lives” as its slogan.

Through its multitude of venues, as well as recording studio space, NJ artists are being given more opportunities than ever before to enter the music industry close to home.

Asbury Park’s historical venue, “The Stone Pony,” is known for launching legendary careers, particularly those of New Jersey natives; names such as Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi ring a bell, i’m sure.

Currently, The Stone Pony is looking to find New Jersey’s next “big act” through its “Rock to the Top 2018” (RTT) competition.

According to The Stone Pony’s website, local bands can enter the competition by submitting their information to booking@stoneponyonline.com.

The venue’s website explains, “Ten bands will be in each showcase, with the top three from each show moving on to the semifinal round.”

The details continued, “Three bands from each of the three semifinal rounds will then become finalists in the big showdown, the RTT Finals.”

According to the criteria on the venue’s site, if a band reaches the Rock to the Top Finals, its members will have the chance to win the first place prize of $2,500 in cash, a headlining show at The Stone Pony, and other career-moving promotional services.

It’s May of 1940 and Great Britain is in its Darkest Hour. Thousands of British troops are pinned on the beaches of Dunkirk, where the Nazi forces are attacking by the land, sea and air.

Meanwhile, the Nazis are steamrolling through Western Europe by taking over countries such as France, Belgium, Holland and others.

In a time where people look to their leaders, there seems to be no hope. The incompetent Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain is encouraging peace talks with the Nazis, but we all know how loyal dictator Adolf Hitler is.

Then, on May 10th, the course of history changed when Great Britain elected Winston Churchill as Prime Minister.

Right from his first day in office, Churchill, played by Gary Oldman, must make difficult choices that have historical consequences.

How will Churchill save the immobilized troops in Dunkirk? Also, will Churchill cave to the Nazis’ “peace treaty?”

Churchill’s colleagues try to sway him to fulfill their party’s desires, but the Prime Minister acts in the best interests of Great Britain.

Although the subject of Dunkirk is recycled for the third time in a year, Darkest Hour still gives the audience a fresh story as to how Churchill handled the high stakes. It’s nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Gary Oldman’s performance.

It takes the country by storm for one week every four years and we never hear about it outside of that time frame.

No, I’m not talking about an update on Bob Barker’s health, a New Year’s resolution to get back on the treadmill, the anxious wait for a new Carly Rae Jepsen album or Joel Embiid’s availability to play twenty-minutes of a basketball game.

Figure skating dominates the major television channels for a brief moment and holds all boyfriends across the country hostage in their girlfriend’s living room. Although some boyfriends might be chained to the living room couch, there’s plenty to appreciate about the sport.

The skaters glide on the ice, gracefully place their feet one in front of the other, lift their bodies high in the air, spread their arms out like the medal is in reach and elegantly nail the landing; triumphant classical music plays in the background.

As gracious as figure skating may sound, it takes hours of hard work and dedication to master. But what happens when dedication goes too far?

Tonya Harding, played by Margot Robbie, was a figure skater who started at the age of four.

Her mother, played by Allison Janney, is a toxic and abusive intimidator who forces her daughter to pour everything she has onto the ice.

At fifteen, Tonya meets her husband, played by Sebastian Stan, who also torments the figure skater with punches to the face and pushes at the wall every day.

Somewhere out in the desolate deserts of America stands a tombstone that reads, “The American Western: 1903 to the 21st century.” 1903’s The Great Train Robbery marked the beginning of an era where audiences lined up to see cowboys gun down foes under the great big sky, but it’s hard to pinpoint when the genre officially died.

There have been unsuccessful attempts to revitalize it throughout the past eighteen years.

A notorious example is 2013’s The Lone Ranger that had a budget of $375 million and flopped by earning only $260.5 million when the dust settled.

With those results it’s clear: westerns have steered clear of people’s interest.

And why would audiences be interested in westerns today anyway?

Marvel has been spitting in the genre’s spittoon over the past decade with glittery CGI action and cash cow franchises.

Today, no one has the endurance to appreciate the stripped down grit of westerns, which is why audiences might overlook Hostiles.

At Nino’s Pizzeria, there was a large fish tank towards the back where customers could admire the beauty of salt water creatures. From yellow tangs to clown fish, I’d find myself gazing at them in the background rather than staring at an empty plate waiting for the sicilian pie to come out. Over the years, the number of fish have dwindled. The beauty that was once nestled in the back is now filled with a bunch of bottom feeders hiding in the pebbles.

There’s a special connection we can feel with the creatures who swim around in the water. Sure they don’t talk much or play fetch, but their presence is missed when they’re gone. I may have liked the fish that swam around in the tank, but Eliza Esposito, played by Sally Hawkins, has taken her admiration for amphibians a little too far.

Eliza is a mute who works as a cleaning lady at a top secret government laboratory. She has a couple of friends in her support group, but Eliza is a single and lonely woman. While cleaning one of the facilities in the laboratory, scientists bring in a creature for observation. Although the scientists mistreat the creature, Eliza sparks a connection with it. The creature does not see the faults in Eliza many others may judge her for; he sees Eliza for who she is.

The Shape of Water holds the most Oscar nominations this year at thirteen. The nominations include Best Picture, Best Actress for Sally Hawkins, Best Supporting Actress for Octavia Spencer, Best Supporting Actor for Richard Jenkins, and Best Director for Guillermo del Toro.

Bob Santelli, University alumnus and Grammy Museum Founding Executive Director, took to the stage of Pollak Theatre to give a backstage look of the logistics behind and the history of the Grammys.

Santelli, who was a member of the class of 1973, has quite the resume, considering he served as the vice president of education and public programs for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, held the title of artistic director of the Experience Music Projectspoke as part of the University’s lecture series, and is even an author of several music-inspired novels.

His visit was presented by the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music as well as the Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The alumnus was introduced by University President Grey Dimenna, Esq.; Santelli quickly captivated the audience and commanded the stage.

He told the audience that he darted to the lecture from New York City where his expertise was necessary to the planning of the renowned Grammy Awards.

Santelli’s appearance was strategically timed so that he could convey his most recent experiences and backstage insight of the 60th anniversary of the Grammys, which aired this past Sunday evening on Jan. 28, and was presented by CBS.

An average of 36 million people worldwide tune in their televisions each year to experience the magic of the Grammys in the comfort of their own living rooms.

2017 was an excellent year for film that’s set the bar high for 2018. Can this year’s upcoming features replicate the same magic as the last? These ten movies are the ones I highly anticipate.

The 15:17 to Paris

Even at 87 years-old, legendary director Clint Eastwood continues to bring spectacle to the screen as he takes a fresh approach to his latest film coming next month. Based on a recent event from August of 2015, two soldiers on a train heading to Paris foiled a sporadic terrorist attack that saved hundreds of lives. To play the two soldiers, Eastwood casted the real-life heroes. Hopefully this ambitious casting choice will keep it on track to be one of the most thrilling experiences of the year.

Best F(r)iends

2017 saw a wave of new fans rally behind the cult classic The Room following the release of director James Franco’s The Disaster Artist, which showed how the best-worst movie was made. After fifteen years, the two main actors of The Room, Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero, are reunited in Best F(r)iends expected in March. Although it looks much more artsy than the cult classic, it doesn’t look any more intelligent. But that’s what we want!

Creed II

Creed was one of 2015’s best with its authentic and gritty Philadelphia feel. Director Ryan Coogler exceeded expectations by giving a fresh face to the Rocky franchise. Three years later, the second installment is expected to arrive later in the year. Supposedly the sons of Ivan Drago and Adonis Creed will face off, which is symbolic of today’s political climate. Could this be a knockout like the first?

The Girl in the Spider’s Web

2010’s Swedish Millennium Trilogy is one of the greatest film series of the 21st century. The first installment, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, particularly grossed very well in the international box office. Eight years later and a fourth installment is supposedly in the works for a release this year. After the unfortunate passing of one of the Trilogy’s leading stars, Michael Nyqvist, and with Noomi Rapace not reprising her incredible role as Lisbeth Salander, will a new international continue their legacy?